Gas cooktops generally include a plurality of gas burners for heating cooking utensils and food items within the cooking utensils. Certain gas cooktops include manual control valves that allow a user of the gas cooktops to adjust or regulate operation of the gas burners. For example, turning a knob of the manual control valve in a first direction increases gas fuel flow to the gas burner and thereby increases a heat output of the associated gas burner. Conversely, turning the knob of the manual control valve in a second, opposite direction decreases gas fuel flow to the gas burner and thereby decreases a heat output of the associated gas burner.
Certain manual control valves adjust gas fuel flow to the associated gas burner by rotating an inner plug within a valve body. Rotation of the inner plug within the valve body adjusts an overlap of respective apertures of the inner plug and valve body. Changing the overlap of the respective apertures of the inner plug and valve body adjusts resistance to gas fuel flow through the manual control valve.
To accurately and precisely regulate gas fuel flow through the manual control valve, the inner plug and valve body can have complex shapes and require tight tolerances. Thus, precision machining may be required to manufacture the inner plug and valve body. Such precision machining techniques generally limit apertures of the inner plug and valve body to circular cross-sections due to manufacturing limitations associated with such machining. However, circular apertures may require large rotations of the inner plug within the valve body to reach a peak flow rate and to begin decreasing the gas flow rate. Thus, circular apertures may limit a resolution of the manual control valve.
Accordingly, a control valve for a gas burner with features for providing a more linear change in a gas flow rate through the control valve in response to rotation of a plug of the control valve within a valve body of the control valve relative to traditional circular apertures would be useful.